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Legumes have played an important part as human food and animal feed in cropping systems since the dawn of agriculture. The legume family is arguably one of the most abundantly domesticated crop plant families. Their ability to symbiotically fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility has been rewarded since antiquity and makes them a key protein source. Pea was the original model organism used in Mendel´s discovery of the laws of inheritance, making it the foundation of modern plant genetics. This book based on Special Issue provides up-to-date information on legume biology, genetic advances, and the legacy of Mendel.
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Genetic diversity is the key to crop improvement and food security. There are more than 1500 gene banks around the world, and genetic resources are maintained in nature reserves and on farms. Genetic diversity serves as the starting point for breeding crops with improved nutritional quality, higher yields, and better tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, genetic diversity also provides opportunities for diversifying farm and food systems. Utilization depends on access to material and information. However, many gene banks experience backlogs in characterization, evaluation, regeneration, viability tests, plant health monitoring, and information sharing. This research topic focuses on advances in plant genetic resource conservation and utilization.
This volume brings together various perspectives to re-conceptualise IP protection beyond borders within a broader public international law framework.
Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) are a key asset for agrobiodiversity, sustainable agriculture and food security overall. CRWs might contain genes for useful traits such as nutritional quality, resistance to pests and diseases, resource efficiency, and adaptability to extreme weather conditions. Their inherent genetic diversity together with the associated diversity of microbiota is a vast resource for developing more productive, nutritious, and resilient crop varieties and for diversifying farming systems. Despite their value, a wide range of CWRs are threatened and face pressures, e.g., from intensive agriculture, urbanization, pollution, and the effects of climate change. At the same time, their conservation and deployment in breeding remain still scarce. As a consequence, knowledge is lacking about the diversity that exists and precisely how that diversity may be used for crop improvement and in farming.
The seed plays a fundamental role in plant reproduction as well as a key source of energy, nutrients and raw materials for developing and sustaining humanity. With an expanding and generally more affluent world population projected to reach nine billion by mid-century, coupled to diminishing availability of inputs, agriculture is facing increasing challenges to ensure sufficient grain production. A deeper understanding of seed development, evolution and physiology will undoubtedly provide a fundamental basis to improve plant breeding practices and ultimately crop yields. Recent advances in genetic, biochemical, molecular and physiological research, mostly brought about by the deployment of n...
Humanity is facing many global challenges. These include 1) achieving food security for a rapidly growing population, 2) slowing the progression of climate change by reducing the production and release of greenhouse gases as consequence of human activity, and 3) meeting the increasing demand for clean energy that will not harm the environment. In this regard, legumes deliver several important services to societies. Legumes provide a diverse range of food crops that are significant sources of plant-based proteins for humans globally. Grain legumes present outstanding nutritional and nutraceutical properties, while being an affordable food that contributes to achieving future global food and feed security in the context of an increasing world population.